The Final Battle
by Ampersand Ellipsis
Summary: I just found this on my computer and realized I have only 10 more days until it becomes obsolete! Please forgive the uneven chapters and underdeveloped storyline...maybe someday I'll finish it properly. Hopefully it will be a nice filler until the real on
1. Homecoming

A tall, thin figure materialized from the mist surrounding the pre-dawn hour. The hooded head turned slowly, taking in the closed shops of Hogsmeade. Satisfied that he was alone, the figure pocketed his wand and strode purposefully up the road towards the castle that rose impressively against the lightening sky, his heavy traveling cloak trailing behind him.

When he reached the massive entrance gates, he leaned towards one of the winged boars and spoke in a clear voice, "Harry Potter to see Head Mistress McGonagall."

A moment later, the boar nodded and the gates swung open. Harry had hardly passed through them when they immediately shut again, clanking loudly.

Harry lowered his hood as he continued to walk towards the front doors of the castle. He looked towards the Quidditch pitch and fought memories that came to mind of happy hours flying overhead in search of the Golden Snitch. He could not afford thoughts of such a simpler time right now.

Instead, he looked over towards the Forbidden Forest and saw Hagrid's hut nestled among the trees. His heart swelled as he spied a thin line of smoke rising from the chimney. It was oddly comforting. At least some things never change, he told himself.

As he reached the large front doors he found his eyes straying against his will to the white tomb near the lake which gleamed in the newly risen sun. His already swollen heart throbbed painfully and he swallowed hard, trying to regain focus. There would be time later to think about Dumbledore, he told himself sternly.

He pulled his invisibility cloak out of one of his pockets and hastily wrapped it around himself. He then retrieved his wand from another pocket and tapped the doors which obediently opened. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Harry crossed the threshold and walked into the Entrance Hall.


	2. Memories

Harry walked through the hallways with unseeing eyes, dodging in and out of secret doorways and passages. Even though it had been many months since he had last walked the corridors of Hogwarts, he made his way easily up to McGonagall's office. In an effort to focus himself for his conversation with the new Headmistress, he began to review what had happened since he had last seen her.

As instructed by Dumbledore, Harry had returned to the Dursley's until his 17th birthday. It had been an uneventful few weeks. Harry mostly stayed in his room, coming out only occasionally to use the bathroom, shower or sneak downstairs for a snack. The Dursleys maintained their distance, neither talking to Harry, nor acknowledging his presence.

Harry was grateful for the quiet and used his time to reread his old textbooks. He was amazed at the things that now seemed so elementary, but which had been a true struggle from year to year. He also read through the defensive books given to him two Christmases prior by Sirius and Remus. Tirelessly, he tried all of the defenses, hexes, jinxes and curses until his knowledge, speed and ability to use them were flawless. He didn't use his wand because he could not stomach the thought of another ridiculous charge of use of magic by an underage wizard by the Ministry. However, he figured that if he perfected them without his wand he would be that much more effective once he did use it.

At least once a week Hermione sent him a volume or two to look over. Each was tediously marked by extensive notes made by her, carrying questions or suggestions she wanted Harry's opinion concerning. These were sent by regular Muggle post as they had decided Voldemort's followers were unlikely to take much notice of something of that nature, let alone intercept their communications.

Harry spent the day before his birthday packing up all of his books, notes, clothes, and other items into his trunk. He was surprised by how many things he had gathered in his six years at Hogwarts and was grateful he had had Hermione magically enlarge the trunk before they had left the Hogwarts Express. He received birthday greetings from Hermione, naturally, and Ron, Hagrid, Remus and Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George, Luna, and Neville.

On July 31st, Harry left the Dursley's for good. He got up early that morning, before the sun had risen. Thinking back to Mr. Weasley and Lupin's suggestions of politeness, he left the Durlsey's a note, in effect, saying that he was leaving and would not be returning. He took his packed trunk, walked around the corner from Privet Drive and rode the Knight Bus to London– to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, to be exact. This was now his home. Although it was no longer headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, he felt the need to have some added protection and appointed Dobby as the new Secret-Keeper for the mansion.

When he took a break from practicing dueling with Dobby, he spent time cleaning the old manor again, preparing it as his own. There seemed to be no end to rooms in the vast house. Nor did there seem to be an end to the dark surprises within each room, each more unpleasant than the next. Harry was often grateful for the time he had spent there two summers previous, as it had given him a good preview of what was now a daily struggle for survival. He frequently wondered how Sirius had spent so much time here while hiding with Buckbeak.

An unexpected pleasure had come when, among Kreacher's hoard, Harry had found Slytherin's locket. It turned out to be easier to destroy a piece of Voldemort's soul than to retrieve it and the locket now hung around his neck, along with the fake Horcrux. During the encounter, Harry received injuries that left a prominent scar running across the top of his left hand, but it was a small price to pay. Besides, he had told himself, it balanced out the scar on his right hand that he had received from Umbridge's detentions two years earlier.

He had also attended Bill and Fleur's wedding at the Burrow mid-August. Despite some awkward moments with Ginny, it was well worth the trip. Ginny had smiled politely when he arrived, but had hurried away rather fast. Naturally he was overwhelmed by the welcome from the rest of the Weasleys (including a rather subdued Percy) and Hermione. During the ceremony Harry kept his eyes fixed on the back of Bill's head in an effort to avoid looking at Ginny. He had allowed himself a quick glance as she walked down the aisle and felt his heart stop for a moment. He also found his mind fast forwarding through a film that began with him waiting for Ginny to walk down the aisle towards him and ended with them kissing as husband and wife.

After Bill and Fleur left for their honeymoon, Remus and Tonks were married in a quick, small ceremony since everyone was already at the Burrow. Remus actually blushed when Tonks enthusiastically kissed him at the end of the ceremony, causing them all to laugh.

Harry stayed long enough at the Burrow to invite Fred and George to move in with him, as well as Remus and Tonks. Harry couldn't stand being in such a large house all alone and enjoyed the constant company. Fred and George were always up to something. And Tonks turned out to be surprisingly good at making the Wolfsbane potion for Remus each month when he transformed. Greyback had seen him fighting the night of the attack and he was no longer living with the werewolves.

Harry had also spoken to Ron and Hermione about their plans to find the remaining Horcruxes. In the end, it was decided that his two best friends would return to Hogwarts and he would contact them at a later time when they were ready to begin their journey.

Occasionally members of the Order would stop in for a brief visit or update. All things considered, life was panning out better than he could have hoped. And now it was time to continue the journey he had begun so long ago.


	3. A Favor

Before he realized it, Harry found himself standing outside the stairwell which led to McGonagall's office. The griffin still stood in its place, but now, next to it on the wall, was a portrait of Phineus Nigellus.

He stared down at Harry and said in a bored voice, "Oh, it's you, is it? Yes, well, hurry up, the Head Mistress is waiting for you."

The griffin leapt aside and Harry stepped onto the moving stairwell.

At the top of the staircase Harry knocked on the door. He suddenly felt nervous. He had not been in this office since the night Dumbledore...

"Come in, Potter," he heard McGonagall say briskly, mercifully interrupting his thoughts.

Not sure what to expect, Harry walked into the office and looked around. Fawkes' perch was gone, as were the small silver instruments. The Sorting Hat and Gryffindor's sword still sat on their proper shelves. McGonagall sat behind a small desk on the far side of the room. Behind her was the frame where he had last seen Dumbledore's portrait sleeping peacefully. He was relieved to see that Dumbledore was missing from the frame, as he was not yet ready to deal with that new aspect of his life.

McGonagall stood up and crossed the room, her hands stretched out to him. She embraced him quickly and motioned for him to sit down in one of the chairs in front of her desk. Harry sat.

She cleared her throat and said, "Well, Harry, I can't say that I am unhappy to see you. If I'm being honest, I'd have to admit that things have been a bit quiet without you."

Harry smiled faintly and responded, "Thank you Professor. I appreciate you taking the time to see me today." He paused for a moment and stared out the window, barely registering the beautiful hues in the sky that welcomed the new day.

"There is a task that Professor Dumbledore and I had begun before...well, before the end of the school year," Harry said quickly.

McGonagall nodded silently and Harry continued.

"Well, the reason I came here this morning was to ask your permission to return to the school if I found there were things here I needed to help me continue that task."

McGonagall was silent for a moment then said, "And you are still convinced not to share the nature of your task with me?"

Harry nodded and said, "Yes, Professor. He quickly added, "And I am sorry about that."

McGonagall was quiet for a moment and then said, "Very well, Potter, you may return to the school if you feel it is necessary. Please forewarn Hagrid so that arrangements may be made."

Harry stood up and stretched out his hand. "Thank you, Professor," he said as he shook her hand. "I appreciate your trust in me."

She nodded curtly and he knew he was dismissed.

As Harry turned to walk out of the office, McGonagall called him back.

"Dumbledore left instructions for me to give this to you," she said, handing him a small package.

"Thank you," Harry said, as he took the package and tucked it into his robes. "I'll be in touch."


	4. An Unexpected Encounter

Harry stepped off the staircase and the griffin leapt back into place. He quickly scanned the halls and cleared his throat.

"Kreacher?" he called softly.

A loud crack pierced the quiet and echoed down the halls as the small, wrinkled figure appeared, bowing low before Harry. Kreacher looked up at him with clear disappointment on his face and said, "So long it has been since Master has called Kreacher that Kreacher thought something terrible must have happened to Master." He sneered and said loathefully, "Master is needing something of Kreacher?"

"Yes, Keacher," Harry said calmly. "Please inform Ron and Hermione that I am here and will meet them under the birch tree out by the lake as soon as possible."

Kreacher remained bowed, but glared up at Harry and said in furious tone, "Kreacher must do as Master wishes." Under his breath he muttered, "Kreacher will fetch the Mudblood and the son of the blood-traitors, but Kreacher would rather wipe slime from Mistress' shoes. Oh if Kreacher's poor Mistress knew what Kreacher was being told to do..." With another loud crack, he was gone.

Harry sighed deeply and pulled on his invisibility cloak as he made his way back to the entrance hall. He was keen to avoid detection and knew the few students who had returned to Hogwarts would surely be in the Great Hall breakfasting by now.

Just three steps from the main floor, Harry's breath caught in his throat as Ginny emerged from the Great Hall alone. He found himself momentarily paralyzed as she walked briskly past him and up the stairs. Involuntarily, he breathed deeply as she passed, taking in the flowery scent of her hair he had missed so much.

Without realizing what he was doing, he watched her as she climbed the staircase. Harry smiled faintly as, unbidden, his mind wandered back over the years he had known her... He saw the small girl half crying, half laughing, chasing the Hogwarts Express along the platform that first year; her young crush and clumsiness the second year and the battle for her soul in the Chamber; the happiness and carefree hours at the Burrow; her dueling skills at the D. A. meetings; how well she played Quidditch; how loyally she defended those in need; her bravery in the Department of Mysteries; how many times he had been strengthened and comforted merely by her presence...

She was so full of life and Harry knew that he loved her more than anyone else, even Ron and Hermione. He thought about how much Ginny meant to him and how eager he was to be finished with his quest and resume where those few perfect weeks they had had together had left off. It took all of his will power not to reach out to her.

He was abruptly brought back to the present and nearly fell down the final steps when she stopped suddenly just below the landing and slowly turned around. She took a few steps forward and her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she carefully swept the Entrance Hall and the lower staircase, coming to rest on the very spot where Harry stood. His heart pounding painfully in his throat, Harry willed himself to hold still and out wait her. Surely she couldn't see through invisibility cloaks? She couldn't possibly have heard what he was thinking, could she? Harry chastised himself severely for losing focus.

After a few tense moments, Ginny apparently decided she was alone. She sighed deeply and shook her head as if to clear it. Harry watched her turn around and make her way back up the stairs. As soon as she turned the corner, he let out the breath he had been holding and sprinted out the front doors.


	5. An Old Friend

While waiting for Ron and Hermione, Harry decided to open the package McGonagall had given him. Inside he found the battered diary he remembered so well from five years previous. He thumbed through it before putting it back into his pocket. He shook the wrapping and out fell the ring he had seen on Dumbledore's hand and in the memories in the Pensieve. Harry held it up to the light and stared at it for a moment. Then he carefully placed it on the middle finger of his right hand. Finally, he looked inside the wrapping once more and found a rolled bit of parchment. As he unrolled the parchment, he recognized the long, narrow, slanted writing immediately. A note from Dumbledore!

Dear Harry,

Whether I personally gave you the Horcruxes that have been collected or they are given to you by Professor McGonagall, I want you to have them. They are to keep you focused and in remembrance of the price of freedom, for I believe there are still grave requirements in our war. Once the fight is fought, however, you are free to do with them as you please.

I wish to give you some brief instructions to help you get started on your journey. I trust that you will not go alone and that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger will be accompanying you. That is best. There are only a handful of tasks in life that should be attempted alone. Please remember that, Harry.

If I have gotten to know you at all, you will first be headed to Godric's Hollow. If, by some slip of my own, I do not know your mind, and Godric's Hollow is not your first choice of places, may I suggest that you change your agenda? I believe that there are yet many secrets hidden there, waiting for you alone to uncover them.

If you feel it necessary to seek counsel from my portrait, I will instruct Minerva to allow these interviews. There are many things that I would tell you when the time is prudent.

Yours most sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore


End file.
